Comfort in the Arms of Friends
by Valrygrl
Summary: Jubilee gets the support of her friends as she faces her fate. A short, but worth the read.


Disclaimer: I don't own X-men or any characters affiliated with it(no matter how much I wish I  
did). This is intended to be a short, but if people like it I might continue it. Just be warned that  
due to school it might take some time between chapters...  
  
Also, Jubes is NOT 13 years old. I KNOW it seems to take forever for all the X-folks to age, but  
being as Gen X started when I was 13 I kinda fast forwarded her to 17. I think 9 years is long  
enough for her to age 4 years don't you?   
"I remember feeling low,   
and I remember losing hope,   
and I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped"  
  
-Innocent by Our Lady Peace  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Jubilee slowly opened the heavy oak door of the mansion and peered around the foyer before  
slipping in. Amazingly, noone appeared to be present for the time being and she hurried up the  
stairs to her room, small paper bag in her hand. Shaking, she slammed the door behind her and  
pressed her back to it, almost unable to believe she'd avoided any questions about her  
whereabouts.  
  
A sharp knock startled her and she leapt away from the door, clutching her package to her chest,  
"Who is it?" she called out.  
  
"Its me" was the response and she breathed a sigh of relief before opening the door. The white  
haired woman outside her door rested a worried look on the younger woman, "Are you alright  
Jubliee?" Jubilee nodded and ushered Storm inside, "Is that it?" asked the weather witch.  
  
Jubilee nodded wordlessly and opened up the bag so her friend could see inside. Storm rested  
her hand on Jubilee's shoulder and gave a soft squeeze, "Well? No time like the present" Jubilee  
swallowed hard and looked up into Storm's eyes.  
  
"I have never been so scared" she whispered, the first words she'd uttered since she'd gotten  
back into the mansion, and the most honest words she'd ever spoken, "I've face Bastion and  
Apocalypse and Magneto and...and NOTHING scared me like this does"   
  
Storm gave her a comforting look and simply said, "I know", not sure what else she could say.   
Jubilee looked down at the box she had removed from the bag.  
  
"Well, its now or never I guess" she said, her voice tight. Storm nodded again and watched  
Jubilee take the box into the bathroom, trying as hard as she possibly could to keep her head high  
as she faced her fate. Storm settled onto the bed in the middle of the room and ran one graceful  
hand across her forehead, wondering at how the youngest member of the team had gotten herself  
into this place. Their little firecracker had grown up before their eyes but they all seemed to have  
missed it. Well, most of them had. Apparently some had taken notice. But even she was guilty  
of letting those precious days slip by, and forgetting that their youngest was not so young  
anymore. Had anyone ever talked to her? Ever let her have a shoulder to cry on and a confidant  
to talk to? She had always assumed someone else was there to do so... and now? Now she  
wasn't so sure anymore.  
  
Another knock sounded on the door, shaking Storm from her thoughts and she rose to greet  
whomever was on the other side. A worried Paige Guthrie stood out there and she stepped back  
to welcome her into the room.  
  
"Is she?" asked Paige, fear creeping into her voice. Storm nodded and Paige sighed.  
  
"Ah don't know what she's gonna do" she confided and Storm shrugged.  
  
"Me neither. But at least this is a start" The two looked over as Jubilee came back out of the  
bathroom  
  
"Two minutes" she said, her voice cracking, "Two minutes and we know" Paige went over to  
Jubilee and wrapped her arms around her friend. The two hadn't always gotten along, but they  
had forged a bond over the years that had developed past the name-calling and petty arguments  
into a deep respect for each other and even, though neither dared say it, a friendship. Rubbing  
her back Paige tried to give comfort to Jubilee. After a long moment they seperated and the three  
women sat on the bed in silence.  
  
"I know what you're thinking" said Jubilee, her blue eyes brimming with tears as she faced the  
other two, "How could I be so stupid" The two women protested but Jubilee held up her hand, "I  
keep asking myself the same thing. I mean, I should know better!" Jubilee jumped back up and  
began to pace back and forth, kicking the clothing that was strewn all over the floor around with  
her feet.  
  
"But I don't know...I just....It was all...I was depressed. It was Valentine's day and all I could  
think about was Ev. I just couldn't...I couldn't deal. I saw all the happy people around the  
mansion; Jean and Scott, Paige and Jono, Rogue and Remy...And not that I'm mad about any of  
them but I just kept thinking, what if Ev was my one? What if he was it and now he's gone?"  
  
Jubilee stopped pacing and turned towards the window, pressing her hands against the sill and  
her head against the cool pane, "And I had noone to talk to" her voice cracked as tears spilled  
down her cheeks, "Except him. He listened to me, like he always does, and then he put his arms  
around me and then... I don't know. It just seemed right and I needed to feel SOMETHING. I  
needed to know I wasn't alone, that I wasn't going to be alone. But I never thought it would lead  
to this. I just didn't think...." Jubilee turned back to her friends who stayed quiet, allowing her to  
speak her mind, "But I won't have to worry about being alone now will I?" A short bark of  
laughter followed that, a self-deprecating laugh that tore at Paige and Storm's hearts.  
  
"Jubes" started Paige softly, "Ah can't say Ah'm impressed with the way you handled things, but  
Ah understand why it happened. And noone could have forseen this result, except maybe God  
Almahty himself. But beating yourself up isn't going to help anyone"  
  
"Paige is right" responded Storm, "So you turned to the arms of a friend for comfort. You  
wouldn't be the first one, and you won't be the last. Life happens when we least expect it, it just  
is happening to you now. I know this comes much too late child, but I will be here no matter  
what. No judgements, just support" Jubilee sniffled and gazed into the honesty on the faces of  
her two friends and then broke out into a fresh batch of tears as she threw her arms around both  
of them at the same time. Several minutes later she stepped back and gave them the first genuine  
smile, if a bit sad and sheepish, she had in days.   
  
"I think its time" she said and returned to the bathroom. There was no noise and nothing needed  
to be said as she came back out the small stick in her hand. A bright red plus stood out in the  
middle, no way to mistake it for anything else, "And I always thought pluses were a good thing"  
  
Storm stood and walked over to Jubilee, giving her arm a squeeze, "They are. This one tells us  
we're going to have another resident in the house" Paige came over and wrapped an arm around  
her shoulder   
  
"She's raht. An we don't have to tell anyone raht now, but Ah think there's one more person  
who needs to know"  
  
"The Professor?" asked Jubilee hopefully, knowing exactly who her friend was talking about.   
Paige gave her a serious look and Jubilee nodded.  
  
"I know. He does. But what the hell am I going to say? 'Hey, surprise! I'm pregnant and it's  
yours!'" she asked bitterly. Paige shrugged  
  
"Works for me" Jubilee gave her friend a startled look and a slight chuckle.  
  
"Alright. But I need to tell him by myself" The two women nodded and Jubilee fiddled with the  
test in her hand, "Wish me luck she said softly" A chorus of "Good luck" s followed her out the  
door and she chewed on her lip as she followed the path she'd followed so many times before.  
  
The hardwood floors were warm beneath her feet and she smiled as she gazed at some of the  
knicks and burns that had accumulated over the years. This was probably the third such flooring  
job that had been done since she'd come to the mansion so many years ago, but it already had the  
character that seemed to pervade the walls of this place. A little rough, a little dirty, but always  
warm and welcoming at the end of the day. She placed her foot down into a small groove that  
had been created by a force beam(Scott pretended to have a stick up his ass, but she knew better.   
She'd seen the day this particular dent had been made and while she was sworn to secrecy it  
included an errant sock and Scott with an arm full of laundry. Guess the dryer didn't eat them  
after all) and noticed that her foot fit as if it were a print.   
  
Each step took her closer to her destination and her heart fluttered as she approached his door.   
Turning to face it she swallowed and stared, hearing the light sound of TV and a hearty laugh  
beyond. Her mind went blank and she was sure she was going to chicken out. She kept staring  
at the door, doubting thoughts racing through her head, 'What if he doesn't care? What if he  
leaves? What if he blames me?' Swallowing hard she turned back towards her room, she  
couldn't face losing someone else.  
  
As she went to take a step, the door swung open and he leaned into the hallway, light flooding  
around her and she froze like a deer caught in the headlights.  
  
"Jubilee? Whatcha doin' out here darlin'?" Jubilee turned to face him, her eyes taking in the  
face of the man she'd loved for so many years. Mutely she lifted the test stick to his line of  
vision.  
  
"Wolvie, we have to talk" 


End file.
